A Witch Like No Other by Makala Thomas

obvious.”
Pandora laughed as her mobile went off.
Answering happily, she said “Pandora.”
    “ Hey Pandora,
it’ s Alice!”
    “ Hi Alice,” she
said tonelessly. “I didn’ t
expect you to call so soon.”
Dreamer looked at her daughter. “Have a bit
of tact, Pandora.”
    Pandora shrugged, saying “I ’ m not used to
callers.”
    “ Was that
Dreamer Black?” said Alice excitedly, and Pandora said
yes.
    “ How come
you’ re calling me,
Alice?”
    “ Well… I
thought we were friends.”
Dreamer snatched the phone off her daughter,
knowing full well Pandora was about to say something cutting, like
“You thought wrong.”
    “ Pandora’ s feeling very
under the weather,” she said gently. “She ’ s just about to have her
lunch, Alice, so maybe you ’ d like to call
back?”
    “ Ok then. Yes
Miss,” said Alice humbly. “Welcome back.”
    “ Thank you,”
said Dreamer, warming up to Alice instantly. She sensed Alice would
be a good friend to Pandora, felt good vibes.
    “ Would you like
to come over for dinner, maybe six o clock?”
    “ Yes
please!”
    As
Dreamer and Alice conversed Miriam and Pandora stared at each
other, Pandora ’ s expression ice cold. Frightened by the look on her
face, Miriam whispered “What have I done, Pandora?”
    “ I
don’ t want to see you anymore.
I don ’ t need you.”
Miriam fought the hurt welling up inside
her. Mentor technique!
    “ Why is that,
Pandora?” she asked as calmly as she could. “Because
Dreamer’ s back in your life,
you want to kick me to the curb?”
    “ Exactly. I
only needed the counselling because she was gone.”
Startled, Dreamer ended the phone call.
    “ What was that,
Pandora?”
    “ I
don’ t need her,” said Pandora,
looking at her mother. “Not anymore.”
    “ Darling,
she’ s your
godmother.”
    “ I
don’ t care, and besides,”
sniffed Pandora, “It ’ s not like I actually need her. More like the
other way round.”
    Miriam ’ s mouth hung open: this wasn ’ t Pandora
speaking.
    “ What happened
to her, Dreamer?”
    “ I’ m not sure,” Dreamer
replied, frowning at her child. “Pandora?”
    Pandora ’ s eyes filled over. “It was Marlon ’ s friends.”
    “ What about
them?” asked Dreamer, concerned.
    “ They said
I’ m mad because I have to see
a shrink.”
    “ When was
this?”
    “ When I went
for a walk in the park after breakfast.”
    “ Really,” said
Dreamer, while Miriam said “Did you tell Marlon?”
    “ No.”
Dreamer wondered whether a curse was the
solution to the situation. It would make them both feel good,
but…
    “ Why
don’ t we forget them for now,”
she said gently. “Pandora?”
Pandora said nothing, staring down at her
lap. Then she nodded.
    “ Good girl,”
said Dreamer, as a large plate was set down on the table. “Now
then, let’ s see if Miriam eats
all of this food.”
Miriam stared down at the plate, feeling
sick.
    “ I- I cant
eat-”
    “ You said you
were hungry,” Dreamer cut across, smile gone now. “So eat, Miriam.
Or are you going to waste my money and upset me?”
    Miriam didn ’ t want to upset Dreamer at all. It felt so good being
with her again, and apart from that she ’ d been on the receiving
end of Dreamer ’ s hexes when she was in a very bad mood for as long as
she could remember. Sighing, she picked up her fork.
    Pandora was amazed, but she held her tongue.
She ’ d
always seen Miriam as an independent sort of woman,
who ’ d
never take an order unless it was what she wanted. And it
wasn ’ t, but she was taking it anyway.
    Dreamer couldn ’ t help feeling smug. Good.
    “ So Miriam, you
planned to meet my husband here?”
    He ’ s not your husband anymore, Miriam wanted to blurt out, but her mouth was full of steak
and kidney pie. Swallowing hard, she gasped
“That ’ s why you ’ re force feeding me, right? As punishment!”
    “ Don’ t be ridiculous,”
smirked Dreamer, as Pandora laughed. “Did you?”
    “ Well… yes,